Put Down That Sugar - We have Stevia Leaf

I know a good number of my fellow Steepsters like their tea & tisanes pure and unadulterated. But for those who like some sweetness we now carry Organic Stevia Leaf. Whether you are diabetic, hypoglycemic, or just want to cut the extra calories, this sugar substitute is just what you’ve been looking for. Follow the link to learn more or to purchase. And remember a free sample is included with every order and purchases of $40 ALWAYS receive free shipping (domestic shipments only)

Fortunately the bitter taste of stevia to me isn’t very bad – to others it is absolutely appalling. That said, I still would never butcher a perfectly good tea with the stuff. And that is coming from someone who has some of the flavored stevias that I quite like mixed with water. I would be very unhappy to taste it in teas I order without it being clearly labeled. If I want to sweeten my tea (I tend to for many fruits flavors and all desert type flavors teas). I think based on the comments I’ve already seen on here (which is a small sample size I’d admit) the consumers do NOT want this gunk from the merchant so I’d really question the comment that this is the “next best thing”.

To be clear i don’t think all teas should have this. But when designing a tea, at least when i do i have an idea, a feeling, a flavor i want to capture. If its a desert style tea that i want to be naturally sweet i see no issues with using stevia leaves (very small amounts as its very potent). Now to be fair when designing a new flavor its all about balancing flavors.
On another note none of my teas have stevia or use any sweeteners of any type and i do offer some desert style teas. I think rooibos has a natural sweetness that i prefer to stevia that is why you will see my desert teas (tisanes really) use rooibos like my mint chocolate rooibos.

I agree with you so much LiberTEAS! I’ve had only a handful of stevia-sweetened teas, but I didn’t like any of them. Most people who sweeten their teas are going to do so anyway, so what’s the point? Stevia ruins an otherwise very good blend, IMHO :(

@Tea Merchant: I understand what you’re saying. There was a time back when I was still doing the tea artisan thing that I considered adding stevia to a blend I was crafting to enhance the sweetness. But, I never actually did that because – quite honestly – my herbal supplier was out of stevia as I was putting the final touches on my blend. And I’m glad that I did not … at the time I had very limited experience with stevia, and I really tried to embrace stevia because I liked the fact that it is a healthier sweetener alternative (and back then I did sweeten my teas!) but since that time, I’ve come to realize that the weird aftertaste that I was experiencing from the teas that I sweetened with stevia – that taste was from the stevia. So, now, I have a cabinet with several stevia products in it that aren’t being used. LOL

But I digress…

The point I am trying to make is this, I really would prefer that the teas blends that I try not have stevia in them, and when I notice the stevia in a blend, I always mention it in my review. It is, of course, up to the artist who crafts the tea to add or not to add the stevia to fulfill their vision of the tea, and I guess in that case, art is subjective. I probably would not turn away a tea blended with stevia, and I might even buy one on occasion, but, I would say that it might also sway me from making that purchase.

I love stevia in my tea. It’s all I use and is derived from an herb. The brand I use is by Herbal Authority and only has stevia extract and inulin (fiber) in it. Many Stevia products have other additives that may negatively affect the taste-some I have tried are bitter or taste artificial. I’m thankful that the brand I use tastes just like sugar to me, but without the calories. On the other hand people differ a lot on how they perceive flavors, so just because I like it doesn’t mean everyone will. Also, I don’t like the idea of pre-sweetened teas.

We don’t offer pre-sweetened teas since we believe our teas should stand on their own. I think it is up to the individual as to how much sweetener (if any) they want to have. It shouldn’t be a one size fits all world out there. Also, as a retailer we see a lot of people with health issues and concerns so we feel it’s important to offer a healthy alternative to some of those other substitutes out there. To each his own.

I appreciate that stance. And there’s nothing wrong with offering stevia to those who want it. I just really dislike it when a company pre-sweetens a tea with stevia for me, because I just don’t care for it. But for those who do like it, it is good to have a good source for it. :)

Davids Tea has a couple blends with stevia in them that I tried – I found them not only too sweet but also very strange tasting. For me, stevia is not a secret sweetener, it just seems to be yucky. : ( On the plus side, I don’t tend to sweeten my tea, but if I do I like honey. Mmm honey.